


Save This Moment

by Urby



Series: Return to Innocence [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Not Beta Read, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 17:12:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10723668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Urby/pseuds/Urby
Summary: Corrin would like nothing more than to have a private moment with Azura. Unfortunately, he can't seem to stay completely human when she's in his room.





	Save This Moment

**Author's Note:**

> dear fandom why are there so little cute boyrin/azura fics
> 
> I tend to think of male Corrin as the dork that showed up in Smash (with such memorable lines as "I win!" and "WAAHHAUUGH") so I write him as not very stuffy. I apologize if anyone seems out of character - I had this idea and wanted to write it out because it was sweet.

"Corrin? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" he insisted. Azura didn't look convinced, but she respected him enough to give him space. He sat on his tail before it flailed around too much and hit her.

They'd gotten close to each other during the time they'd spent together, and he'd finally worked up the courage to ask her to come to his room after dinner. Instead of getting comfortable with each other, though, he'd managed to work himself up so much that he was half-transformed. He gripped his draconic antlers with huge, clawed hands, wondering if he could just push them back into his head. His wing muscles screamed with tension, like they wanted to fly him away, but he couldn't leave Azura - not after he'd invited her here. Even if he was doing a spectacular job making a fool of himself.

"Would you like me to leave you alone?" she asked.

He had enough composure to sigh instead of whine. "I want you here," he said. "I want to be with you."

She sidled up to him. He felt his ears slide up his head, growing longer and thinner. They flailed as she stared at him.

"This isn't supposed to happen," he said, hoping to save some face.

"Is this because of me?" she asked gently.

"It's not your fault!" he said quickly. "This really isn't --! This doesn't happen when we're outside, for example!"

Azura hummed as she thought. She lifted a hand and touched the outside of his wings. "Well...here, we don't have any battles or other people to distract us." She paused. "Do you feel in control?"

"I'm myself," Corrin said. "And I should be able to get a grip on this if I had a minute." He wasn't confident about that last part, but he didn't want to come off as uncertain.

She moved to the end of the bed. "Take your time."

He closed his eyes, zeroing in on the rise and fall of his chest. He wore his dragonstone as a necklace ever since Azura had given it to him, and was a reassuring weight near his neck. Calm. He needed to be calm. Or at least not high-strung. What could he think about...?

For a single, cold moment, Gunter's stern face surfaced in his thoughts. Corrin clenched his teeth together, banishing the image from his mind. He didn't want to completely kill his excitement! Just...mellow out a little...

The next thing his scrambling mind rested on was the sensation of holding a sword. Not something as powerful as the Yato, but a generic, utilitarian thing...like the one he grew up training with. The focus that was required to keep the point up after a long sparring session. Eliminating his own weak points with his positioning. Minimizing the shaking in his arms.

He dwelled on proper sword posture for a minute or so, breathing in and out evenly. He felt the weight on his head changing as the antlers shrunk and his ears moved back down to the side of his head. He opened his eyes, flexing his fingers. They were still dark, but they weren't nearly as big as before. He let out a sigh of accomplishment and looked up.

Azura was watching the oil lamp, hands folded on her lap. Her eyes were lidded, but not closed - he could see the golden glint the light cast over them between her eyelashes. She seemed so peaceful and demure that he had to take a moment to just look at her, in case he needed to remember such a moment.

"Azura..."

She shook her head a tiny bit and faced him. "Corrin? Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. You can come back now."

"As if I ever left," she remarked playfully, rising. He felt his cheeks coloring at that, and they got hotter when she had a seat near him. She brushed the back of her fingers against his cheek. Soft -- how was she so _soft_ , it was...

Swords, he had to think of swords, quickly! He could already feel his ears twitching through his hair. She drew away from him once more.

"Corrin, it's happening again," she said softly.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "...I know," he said. "I'm no good at this..."

She watched him with a level expression for a moment. His ears undulated fretfully - was she disappointed? It would almost be easier if she was disappointed.

"Corrin, may I touch you?" she asked instead.

He blinked, wings flexing. He was so surprised that his response tumbled out of him before he could think it through: "Yes, of course! You don't need to ask. I mean, I touch people all the time! I don't mind if you were to return the favor!"

"Perhaps the better question is, would you like to be touched?" Azura asked, brushing the back of her fingers against his cheek again. "I would like to, even if you are..." she paused, fingers resting near where his human ears would have been. "Nervous."

"I'm not...!" Corrin began, then closed his mouth to reconsider. "...I shouldn't be." He leaned into her hand, taking care not to bump her with his antlers.

She moved closer to him and opened her hand so she could lay her palm against his cheek. She cupped his face with her hands, stroking close to his neck to make him tuck his chin. Once he did that, she laid her forehead in his hair, nestling her face between his horns. She hummed while she rested there, thumbs gently stroking his cheeks.

He was much too self-conscious to entertain many thoughts other than own embarrassment and shame, but the fact he couldn't reign in his draconic nature completely weighed heavily on his mind. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked.

She tutted, as if offended by the mere thought. Still, she took a moment to consider her response. "I would not have come here if I was afraid of you. If I didn't love you."

That last line made his tail arc with joy.

She sat back and her hands reached to brush against the crescent curves of his draconic crest. He looked into her eyes, relaxing at the soft gaze he got back.

"Because I do love you."

A wide grin spread across Corrin's face. "Yes! I love you too...so much..."

A gentle laugh bubbled up from Azura's lips, and it was such a sweet sound that he had to kiss her. She made another sound at that, tilting his face towards her and deepening the kiss.

She wasn't afraid or repulsed by his altered form, it seemed...the thought emboldened him, made him lean into her. He made sure to catch her before she fell onto the bed. She was light and relaxed in his hands.

He drew away, his breathing a little rumbly. Her smile was just barely smug, as if she was challenging him to do more. He put a hand on her cheek.

"Ah...!" Corrin's ears perked up in surprise. He could easily cup an entire side of her face, with his fingers able to brush against the back of her head. She leaned into the touch, closing her eyes. A smile spread across his face as he stroked her cheek softly with his thumb, making sure to keep his claws away from her skin. "Does this feel strange?" he asked.

"It's very smooth," Azura said. She opened her eyes briefly as she considered the question, touching the back of his hand. "...Like wet leather, but it isn't damp? It's different, not strange."

He hummed, reassured, and continued to stroke her. His hand slid down her face, intending to glide down her body, but she stiffened, halting her breathing for a moment. He was about to ask why when it hit him: his hand had come to rest on her neck. He wasn't gripping her, but the shape and weight of it must have been familiar.

"Azura," he began, surprising himself with the heavy tone of his voice. "Are you afraid of me?"

Her eyes flew open. "No," she said, shaking her head. "No, I'm not." But she still lifted his hand away from her neck.

His ears drooped so much he felt them graze the back of his head.

"Corrin," she said, placing her hand on his palm. He closed his hand around hers, enveloping it completely. She didn't seem bothered by that, instead bringing their hands towards her so that the back of his rested against her chest.

"I can feel your heartbeat," he murmured. It was even.

"Your presence steadies me...as prince Corrin, as the water dragon, and whatever lies between," she said, tipping her head towards his hand. "With you, I feel like I can do anything...that nothing is out of reach. Please, stay with me..."

A tender warmth bloomed in Corrin's chest. He clasped her hand for a moment, feeling her flex her fingers in response. "I feel the same way," he said. She gave him a soft smile.

He wanted to hear her heartbeat more clearly, so he released her hand and placed his palm near her heart, pressing lightly into the skin. She made a quiet _eep_ sound, flinching.

"Forgive me, I --! Did I hurt you?"

Azura looked very pretty with a blush, and this moment was no different. She put her hand in the space between his thumb and his forefinger. When she spoke, it was with an even, but soft voice: "You may keep your hand there, but please don't squeeze my breast."

His ears flailed wildly, and he relaxed his grip. She sighed and closed her eyes.

Her heartbeat under his hand was a steady, gentle reminder that she was alive and present with him. That she wanted to be with him. The tension that was in his wings and back melted away.

"Azura...?"

"Hmm?"

"I'd like to hold you," he said. He figured he would let her know before he made any sudden movements.

"I'd like that as well," she said, and she leaned into him, letting him embrace her. She nuzzled his chest as she settled into his arms. He curled his tail around them, slipping it behind her legs. They breathed in time with each other, sharing their warmth.

"I can hear your heartbeat," she said. She reached up to touch his chestplate. "I thought this would be too thick...?"

Corrin made a wondering noise. "When I transform, my armor becomes my scales...but I still feel that this is armor."

Azura opened her eyes, tracing a pattern on his chest. "Do you feel it when I touch this?"

"A little."

She slipped into a pensive silence. After a moment, she slid a hand around one of his oversized fingers, holding it tenderly. "It's getting dark," she said.

He wanted nothing more than to stay curled up with her forever, and he hugged her a little closer. He knew that the coming day would be full of trials, ones the two of them would need to face at their full strength.

"I would like to stay with you tonight," she murmured. "Please don't send me away."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said.

Azura's breaths were long and soft. "Do you want to sleep?" she asked after a moment.

Corrin's tail fidgeted. He focused on the thought of a sword. "...We should."

She chuckled, brushing her hand against his draconic crest. "Do you think you'll be able to sleep with all this?"

"I'll manage," he said. He felt much calmer now than he had been earlier that evening.

They exchanged smiles and a quick kiss. "Good night, then."

* * *

Corrin awoke to several sheets tangled in his antlers. Azura had somehow made her way to the foot of the bed in her sleep, but was unhurt. He let out a sigh of relief as he untangled himself. He hadn't regained his human form like he'd hoped, but at least there was no damage done.

He gazed at Azura's sleeping form awhile, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. Her hair sprawled around her in an impressive array of blue strands, many of which looked like they would snarl if they weren't tended to.

It occurred to him that she would appreciate waking up to tamed hair, so he hunted for his hairbrush. Unfortunately, there were a few things that made the task difficult: first, the strands of silvered hair that he needed to clear out of the bristles (he didn't need to mix his hair with hers - that was surely asking for trouble), and second, the huge, draconic hands he was still stuck with. He had to hold the brush between his finger and thumb, and even then, the grip was a bit strained.

Azura made a little noise when he started gently working at the knots in her hair, but she didn't stir. He waited to see if she would wake, and when she made no other sound or movement, went back to his brushing.

The morning light was dim and getting brighter, and Corrin's heart felt light. The brush was getting easier to hold as he focused on the task in front of him. He was just about done when he noticed she was smiling at him, her gaze soft.

"The prince has returned," she said. "Welcome back."

"Hmm?" he almost expected his ears to flail in confusion, but he realized they were at the sides of his head, where they belonged. He ran a hand through his hair, and no antlers stopped the path of his hand - his normal, human hand. "Oh! I hadn't noticed..."

Azura sat up and tapped the hand that was holding the brush. "Thank you for this much. I can take care of the rest."

"Alright," he said, giving the brush up a bit reluctantly. She attacked the knots in her hair with an efficiency that spoke of a lifetime of banishing bedhead, getting rid of them more quickly than he did. He noted the little winces that she made anyway, and wondered if she would ever have time to brush them out with love and care like he did.

He shook his head. The peace he strove for would give her such an opportunity.

"Should I bring a hairbrush next time you invite me to your chambers?" she asked with a sly smile.

His face colored, and his ears felt like they were stretching. "I don't think that's necessary...!"

She laughed, which was a sweet sound, but she didn't tease him further.


End file.
